I think I’ve trained Charlie to nick stuff - and I think I've trained him really, really effectively. Which is more than I can say for the rest of my efforts. So as part of the dummy bringing back effort, we adopted a strategy of much praise, cuddles, and treats for giving us stuff in our hands. Anything that he carried and put in our hands was met with huge cries of delight. Even if it was our iphones and ipads. Now, he nicks things all the time to give to us. And if I don’t have a treat on me, he’ll show me what he has, and if it’s valuable (he can tell…) he'll trot, lassie-like looking over his shoulder to check I’m following, to the biscuit jar! On the up side, I’m thinking of hiring him out as the ultimate de-cluttering tool for those aspiring to the minimalist look. He is training me to be super tidy. I don’t think there is a solution to this apart from to make sure there is nothing in nicking range…?
Re: Trained thief Yep, bare surfaces ;D Don't hire him out too cheaply - people pay good money to be de-cluttered!!
Re: Trained thief He is now a retrieverholic by the sounds of it. I would stop rewarding him for picking up random items and bringing them to you. You can move to the next step now where he retrieves on command and only items you want him to retrieve.
Re: Trained thief I can see the picture so clearly ;D ;D Its so easy to give out wrong messages, or rather for them to interpret the messages to their own advantage , not daft are they ;D ;D
Re: Trained thief could you not transfer his retreving skills to useful items like toys, or things you want him to fetch, like the post ot the phone when it is ringing, so making him useful and helpful round the house, you could teach him to fetch certain items on command like the phone, Tv remote, post and other such items, so he can use his skills for useful things, not just de cluttering your house
Re: Trained thief Yes, I'll have to try direct / redirect it! Pushing on with the steadiness training again now, so along with that can try to get the "only on command" thing going in the house. Just left the kitchen and did my decluttered check. Nothing in reach - my surfaces beautifully empty and clear. Or so I thought. I have one of those induction hobs. He "retrieved" the magnetic knob! The only thing that wasn't stuck down! ;D ;D ;D
Re: Trained thief If its any comfort Julie , my hob dials all had little knobs on them and all are missing, presumed eaten by a certain black peril when he was younger , they must have tasted of food, thank goodness they were tiny
Re: Trained thief [quote author=kateincornwall link=topic=3194.msg34216#msg34216 date=1383824542] missing, presumed eaten [/quote] ;D ;D ;D
Re: Trained thief Something must have happened to Murffi in one of his previous homes. As soon as someone switches on the hob or the oven he slinks off out of the kitchen and into the conservatory and will only come back in when everything is turned off gain. He is a bit of a counter surfer given half a chance and I reckon he had a rather nasty experience to do with an oven or cooker.
Re: Trained thief Lady has a fetish about my napkin ring. If I leave it lying about she nicks it, takes the napkin out then waits with the ring between her paws for me to come looking for it. ;D It's gradually gone oval.
Re: Trained thief [quote author=David link=topic=3194.msg34220#msg34220 date=1383825361] Lady has a fetish about my napkin ring. If I leave it lying about she nicks it, takes the napkin out then waits with the ring between her paws for me to come looking for it. ;D It's gradually gone oval. [/quote] That's what you get for having standards.....no napkins in our house unless we've got guests and we lay the table properly
Re: Trained thief I do love the stories of all your dogs misbehaving around the house. I held a Halloween party for 15 of my son's 8 year old friends last week, Chip went to mum's for a few hours as he would've hated all the chaos, but my friend arrived very stressed with her 2 children to announce that she had no buns to bring, as her lab puppy Piper (aged 4 months) had learnt to counter surf that afternoon. Yep, all 24 mini ginger & parkin buns gone, complete with several plastic spiders. Needless to say Piper was feeling sorry for herself later that evening and Sarah spent the next couple of days counting the spiders in her poo! Yuk!!
Re: Trained thief Talk of the devil... he's discovered there are things on the floor upstairs... thief! by JulieTandCharlie, on Flickr
Re: Trained thief [quote author=bbrown link=topic=3194.msg34234#msg34234 date=1383828335] Riley doesn't even know there's an upstairs ! Poor deprived animal [/quote] Baby gate has been ordered....being fitted next week!
